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Smitherman chairman of RR commission

AUSTIN -- Commissioner Barry Smitherman was unanimously elected chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission at the Feb. 28 Commission meeting.

“As chairman, I will continue to ensure that we meet the unscientific, politically motivated decisions coming out of Washington, D.C., with science-backed, factually correct responses. Oil and gas production and mining operations power our state’s economy. We must not let the political appointees in Washington kill our economic engine and kill our jobs,” Smitherman said.

The chairman of the Railroad Commission is elected by a vote of the three members on the commission. Smitherman, who replaces Elizabeth Ames Jones as chairman, was appointed commissioner in July 2011.